


Grimbark

by curiouslykatie



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Angst, Death, Grimbark, Jadekat - Freeform, Meteor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-04
Updated: 2013-04-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 10:25:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/747441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/curiouslykatie/pseuds/curiouslykatie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jade, still grimbark, was sent to kill Karkat and the rest of the meteor.</p><p>Karkat is the one who has to end it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grimbark

She was still beautiful, Karkat thought. The roof of the meteor was bathed in the eery flickering green light from the electricity crackling around Jade. Her tangled hair swirled around her face and her skin was as grey as his was. Her eyes were too dark and glinted with malice, and her new fangs were bared at him, and she was still beautiful.

He stepped out of the shadows. Jade growled and her woofbeast ears pointed straight up, but he kept shuffling slowly forward.

"Um, hey, Harley," Karkat said. He squeezed the handle of the sword as tightly as possible, but his hands still shook like leaves in the wind. "This isn't how I expected to meet you."

She leaned forward a little and barked menacingly, but didn't move from her spot. He swallowed and stared into her black eyes. "I don't know if you can understand me. We don't know how much the magic is affecting your brain. All we know is that... you didn't try to attack us because you wanted to. You're being made to."

Karkat walked forward until he was only a couple feet in front of her. Jade tensed and growled again, her eyes locked on the sword. "I don't want to do this. Rose said that she couldn't face doing this and Dave said he'd rather kill himself than ki- than hurt you. So they're making me do this."

Jade's ears pressed flat against her head. She looked at him and made a whining noise in the back of her throat. His heart dropped to his feet. "Oh, god, no. Can you understand me?" Karkat asked, his voice shaking. "I-I have to do this, Jade. Rose said that shutting down the vessel should cut off the mind control. And that if we're lucky, you'll... sort of reset. To normal."

The whining changed to a higher-pitched sound, and her too dark eyes glistened with tears. They spilled over as she bared her teeth at him again, and she backed up a few steps.

_Please I'm sorry I'm sorry Harley_

She lunged at him, hands grabbing for his throat, and he stumbled backwards as she slammed into him.

Jade yelped, falling away, and his sword left her abdomen with a horrible slicing sound.

Bright red blood- the same color as his- leaked from the wound and soaked her shirt with terrifying speed. She screamed in pain and collapsed to the pavement, knees cracking against the cement as she slumped to her side.

"Jade!"

Karkat fell to his knees next to her and swept her hair off her face, and repeated the motion, trying to calm her. Her hands scrabbled at her stomach desperately and she curled in on herself, moaning.

The green electricity flickered once more and disappeared. Color leeched back into her as her blood pooled around him. Her skin changed from grey to deathly pale. She locked eyes with him and he bit his lip so hard he could taste his own blood. They were no longer cold and black but a bright, vivid green.

"Are- Are you-" Jade struggled to whisper, her breaths getting raspier with the effort of talking. "You're-"

His translucent red tears fell on her hair, and he cupped her face in his hand. "Shhh."

She closed her eyes at his touch. Her breath hitched and faded away. He pressed two fingers to the side of her neck, searching for the warm beat of life, but she was cold and very, very still.

His body shook with a sob and he lifted her into his lap like a child. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Karkat whispered.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Please. Please wake up. Egbert did. Rose said John came back to life. You're god tier. You can, too. Please, Jade."

The roof was far too quiet. He focused on his breathing to collect himself, forcing it to slow. _Breathe in. Breathe out. In. Out._ He counted 100 breaths. _At 200, I'll leave._

The girl in his arms coughed and raised a trembling hand to her stomach, and he forgot to breathe.

"Karkat?"

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and tell me what you thought! :) I've had this in my head for a while now, and I'm hoping I transferred the emotions that were in my mind to the story well.


End file.
